B L A 



B L A 



At tKis time Cromwell difmifled the parliament, and afTiiraed 

 the fupreme power ; neverthelefs, Blake and his colleagues 

 declared their fixed purpofe to ferve their country faithfully, 

 and to guard it, by every effort in their power, againft foreign 

 injur)- and infult. " It is not for us," faid Blake, " to mind 

 ftate affairs, but to keep fo-eigners from fooling us." Ac- 

 cordingly, when generals Monk and Deane, on the 23d day 

 of June, had engaged Van Tromp with a fleet of 120 men 

 of war, with dubious fuccefs, and with the lofs of feveral 

 men, among whom was Deane, Blake on the next day came 

 lip to their afllttance with 18 frefli (liips, and gained a yittory 

 fo complete, that if the Dutch had not again faved themfelves 

 on the fands of Calais, their whole fleet muft have been 

 funk or taken. After this engagement, his health being 

 much impaired, he took his Isat in thenewrarliament, fum- 

 moned by the proteflor Oliver, as a rcprefcutative of his 

 native town, and he was conftitutcd one of the commifTioners 

 of the admiralty. Cromwell indeed treated him with great 

 refpecl ; but he was not unapprized of the admiral's ftror.g 

 inclination to a commonwealth ; and he was therefore the 

 more difpofed to fend him, in November 1654, with a ftrong 

 fleet into the Mediterranean, for the purpofe of fupporting 

 the honours of the Englilh flag, and procuring fatisfaftion 

 for any injury which the Britiili merchants had fuffcred. 

 Whilll he lay in the road of Cadiz, he was treated with great 

 refpecl by the Dutch and French, and even by the Algerines. 

 However on the loth of March iii the following year he 

 appeared before Algiers, and demanded fatisfailion for the 

 piracies committed on the Englilh, and a releafe of all Eng- 

 li(h captives. He then failed to Tunis on the fame errand ; 

 but the dey, confiding in the ftrength of the place, treated 

 Blake's meffage with contempt ; " Here," faid he, " are 

 our caftles of Goletta and Porto Ferino, do your woril ; do 

 you think we fear your fleet ?" Blake, curling his whilkers, 

 as he was accuftomed to do when in a pafiion, confulted his 

 officers, and then bore into the bay with his heavy fliips ; 

 demolilhed the caftks, burnt all the (hipping in the haven 

 of Tunis, and forced the haughty and obllinate dcy to an 

 humble fubmiflion, and an advantageous peace. This daring 

 aftion fpread the fame terror of his nanie through Africa 

 and Aha, which had for a long time prevailed in Europe. 

 He alfo awed the piratical flate of Tripoly into a peace with 

 England, and the knights of Malta into a compofition for 

 the injuries which they had committed. Such was the effect 

 of thefe exploits on the princes and dates of Italy, that mofl 

 of them thought fit to pay their compliments to the pro- 

 teftor ; and the grand duke of Tufcany, and the free date 

 of Venice, in particular, fent magnificent embaffies for that 

 purpofe. During the war with Spain, which was carried on 

 with great fpiritat this time, Blake, in purfuance of the pro- 

 tedlor's order, exerted himfclf in ruining their maritime force 

 in Europe, and Montague being joined with him, on ac- 

 count of his declinj^ng ilate of health, blocked up for feve- 

 ral months a Spanilh fquadron in the bay of Cudi/, and 

 detached a part of their fleet to capture the Spanifli plate 

 fleet. Montague returned to England with the prizts ; but 

 Blake, whofe conftitution was broken by the dropfy and 

 fcurvy, ftaid behind ; and in April 1657 failed with 25 men 

 of war in purfuit of another plate fleet which had put into 

 Santa Cruz in the ifland of TeneriiTe. Upon his arrival, he 

 found that the governor had ufed every poflible precaution 

 for the defence of the harbour; 16 Spanifli (hips were dif- 

 pofed in a circular form within the bay, and llrongly bar- 

 ricadoed ; and the entrance was guarded by a caltle and 7 

 forts, connefted with one another, and furniflied with large 

 cannon. Blake fleered boldly into the bay, leaving fome of 

 his fliips to filence the batteries, while with the reil he at- 



tacked the Spanifh veiTels. Having driven the enemy from 

 all their fortified pofls, he fet fire to the (hipping, which it 

 was impoflible for him to remove, and deftroyed the whole, 

 to au immenfe amount. Having accomplifhed his objeil, 

 the wind veered about in his favour, and brought him out 

 again without the lofs of a fingle fhip. This exploit has 

 been cenfured by fom.e cool politicians as an ail of raflinefs ; 

 but fuch timid reafoners (hould confider that by fuch aflsnf 

 valour the Britilh navy has made the world to tremble. On 

 this occafion the brother of the admiral was found deficient 

 in fome fcrvice which was expccled from him ; upon which 

 he was degraded from liis conunand, and fent home to his 

 own counti-y, though afterwards he fliarcd the fraternal re- 

 gard of Blake, in whofe mind genuine patriotifm abforbed 

 every felfilh and partial intereft. This great cntcrprife was 

 the laft atl of Blake's public life ; the news of i: at home 

 was honoured with a public thankfgiving, with a vote of 

 thanks to all the officers and feamen, and with a diamond 

 ring, of the value of 500 1. to Blake himfelf. He lived to 

 receive this welcome tribute of the gratitude and refpeft of 

 his country, to the profperity and glor)' of which he was 

 invariably devoted. As his end approached, he wiiTied to 

 return to his native land ; as he drew near, he often 

 anxioufly inquired for land ; but before he could fee it, he 

 died as he was entering Plymouth found, on board his fhip 

 the St. Georfi;e, Augull the 17th 1657, at the age of about 

 59 years. His body was embalmed, and interred with An- 

 gular honours in Henry the Seventh's chapel, Wellminfler ; 

 but after the refloration in 166 1, it was removed and interred 

 in St. Margaret's church yard. Blake was, with regard to 

 his perfon, of low flature, of a quick, lively eye, and martial 

 afpect ; he was Angularly brave, cool in aflion, and wife in 

 the difpolition of thofe defperate attacks, which men of a 

 colder temperament have judged rather fortunate than ex- 

 pedient. He loved his country, and whatever was the efia- 

 bliihed government, he was folicitous to do his duty; and 

 this duty he performed with the m.oft upright and dilin- 

 terefted views ; for notwithftanding the high and lucrative 

 polls which he occupied, and the many rich prizes which he 

 captured, he only added to his own original patrimony about 

 500 pounds. He was pious without affedlatijn, flridily juft, 

 and liberal to the extent of his fortune. His officers he 

 treated with the familiarity of friends, and he was truly a 

 parent to his failors. Although no epitaph or fculptured 

 monument records his great and good quahties, all parties 

 have been eager to do juflice to his memory. Dr. Bates, 

 phyfician to l^-ing Charles I., the proteftor Oliver, and king 

 Charles II., fums up his charaScr in the following words : 

 " He humbled the prid; of France, reduced the Portuguefe 

 to lubmifiion, broke the ftrength of the Dutch, and drove 

 their fleets out of the fea, fubdued the pirates in the Medi- 

 terranean, and tv.ice triumphed over the Spaniards, blame- 

 able only in this, that he joined himfclf with the parricides." 

 Lord Clarendon fays of him, that he was the firit man that 

 dechned the old track, and difregarded anciently eftabliflied 

 rules, which ferved merely to keep his fhip and his men out 

 of danger ; he lirft taught fhips to contemn caftles on fhore ; 

 he firfl infufed that courage into feamen, which made them 

 learn by experience what mighty things they could do if 

 they were rcfolved, and taught them to fight in fire as well 

 as upon water ; and though he hath been ver)' well imitated, 

 he was the firil that gave the example of that kind of naval 

 courage, and bold, refolute atchievements. Bifhop Burnet 

 mentions a ilory that is related of him, well known, but 

 worth again recording. Whilft he lay in the road of Ma- 

 laga, fome of his feamen being on fhore, met the hoft, and 

 treated the proceffion with negledl and indignity. One of 



the 



